The Original Mysticons
by GuardianAngel1234567
Summary: During a quest to stop Tazma and Proxima from resurrecting The Queen of The Undead, Nova Terron reveals the origins of how Necrafa came to be... and the Original Mysticons.
1. A Familiar Place

**Okay. After watching "The Dragon's Rage", I am compelled to do** _ **two**_ **things;**

 **1.** _ **NNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!**_

 **2\. Enjoy this new story. =)**

* * *

 _Previously on Mysticons..._

 _Arkayna: Proxima just ran off with Necrafa's mask._

 _Zarya: (Sees Proxima with...) You teamed up with_ _ **Tazma?!**_

 _(The Codex glows and lands on Arkayna's and Zarya's hands.)_

 _Gawayne: I have_ _ **TWO**_ _stepsisters?! And they're both_ _ **MYSTICONS?!**_

 _(Queen Goodfey and King Darius are finally restored to flesh and blood.)_

 _Queen Goodfey: Arkayna. (Hugs her daughter while Gawayne hugs his dad. When she sees Zarya, she is shocked, and hugs her too, unaware that a certain bespectacled Astromancer was secretly and sadly watching from afar.)_

 _Nova Terron: We have to stop the resurrection of The Queen of The Undead._

 _Piper: Where in the realm would you resurrect a lich?_

 _Nova Terron: I know one place._

* * *

"You didn't have to come along." Arkayna insisted as The Mysticons, Malvaron, Doug, Choko and Nova Terron flew the skies from within the Pink Skull's ship.

 _Along with the rest of the Royal Family._

"It's the least we can do after we failed to protect the Dragon Disk." Queen Goodfey insisted.

"Alright, but if things get _too intense_ , we get to dome you." Zarya pointed out.

"What I want is to go home!" Gawayne whined.

"Oh no." Darius scolded, "After your recent ' _reign'_ , the only time we can approve of leaving you alone in the Royal Palace is when Trolls sprout wings and fly."

Gawayne groaned as he slammed his head repeatedly at the railing of the ship.

" _Hey! Watch the gloom rage!_ " Kitty called.

"There it is. Land this ship, Captain!" Nova Terron ordered after spotting the land he was searching.

As the Pink Skull's ship landed, The Mysticons immediately leaped out and landed on the ground, weapons ready to face whatever _dark, savage_ creatures they were about to face in such a _dark... This can't be right._

Instead of a _dark, barren, wasteland,_ they landed in a _pretty, flourishing garden? With flowers and trees and a clear blue lake in the center?_

"The spell requires Necrafa's birthplace." Arkayna pointed out in disbelief, " _This_ _ **can't**_ _be it._ "

"Unless it flourished over the years." Em suggested.

"No. This is it." Nova Terron spoke in gloom, " _Where it all started._ "

"Keep an eye out for those two in the skies!" Zarya called to Kitty as the group began to trek the field.

"Aye-aye, Mysticon Ranger!" Kitty called back as her ship took to the skies.

* * *

"This can't be right, Nova Terron." Queen Goodfey spoke as the group scanned the entire area, "The Legends have always told that Necrafa was born in Darkness."

"I thought she was born from a cave." Malvaron pointed out.

"I heard she was raised by _Demons_." Doug shivered fearfully.

"You'd be surprised how many of those tales were fabricated from one, single truth." Nova Terron replied.

While Piper stopped to smell some flowers, Choko spotted a cloaked figure hiding among the trees.

"Choko!" Piper called as the Foz jumped off her shoulder and scurried towards the trees.

"Piper!" Zarya called before chasing after the Striker who followed Choko into the trees. The others followed her lead.

Piper stopped in complete shock as if she had just saw a ghost. When the others found her, they were shocked upon seeing the tall cloaked figure before them petting Choko.

"Mysticons." Dreadbane spoke indifferently, tossing Choko back to Zarya, "Of course you'd be here."

" _Dreadbane._ " Queen Goodfey glared along with her husband who had a frightened Gawayne behind him.

"Mom, wait." Arkayna interjected, "He _helped_ us destroy Necrafa."

"Actually, I..." Dreadbane stopped when Arkayna elbowed him. _Man. Is that princess tough. Why did she do that?_

The Queen and King were caught by surprise. _A servant of Necrafa **helped** their daughters **defeat** the Queen of the Undead?_

"I can vouch for that." Gawayne fearfully spoke while the other 3 Mysticons and Choko raised their hands and paw.

"Wait. What are you doing _here_?" Em asked.

Dreadbane sighs, "Just, visiting the very last happy memory I had _before_..."

"Still can't get over her, huh?" Arkayna asked sympathetically. _It must have been hard for him to let go of someone who never truly loved him._

"It's... _complicated_." Dreadbane replied, "What are you doing _here_?"

"To be honest; We're not sure." Malvaron shrugged, still skeptical of the location.

"Trust me;" Nova Terron assured, "This is _it_."

Upon seeing the Astromancer, Dreadbane narrowed his eyes, " _Terron_."

" _Bane_." Nova narrowed his eyes back.

"You two know each other?" Piper asked.

"The Astromancers did fight against Necrafa's forces thousand years ago." Em pointed out.

Dreadbane slightly chuckled, "Oh. It's _more_ than that."

"Okay stop." Zarya spoke, "There is no way Tazma and Proxima are resurrecting Necrafa here. It's too... _pretty_."

" _Resurrecting Necrafa_?" Dreadbane's eyes widened in shock.

"Yeah. They need her birthplace to do so." Zarya replied.

"Well..." Dreadbane gestured to the field, "This _is_ the place where she was _born_."

" _Seriously_?" Piper gestured to the _lovely_ landscape before them, complete with singing birds and butterflies.

"I know because _I_ was _there_ when she..." Dreadbane stopped. Arkayna could sense there was... _guilt_ in his eyes?

"Perhaps this is the exact time for a history lesson." Nova Terron advised.

"Right now?" Doug asked.

"Yes." Nova summoned two long coaches for the group, including Dreadbane to sit in.

Arkayna found herself sitting next to Dreadbane. The two briefly locked eyes before looking away from each other awkwardly.

"So..." Dreadbane spoke first, "The Ranger is your sister."

Arkayna remained silent before whispering, " _Sorry about Necrafa. I know you still have feelings for her..._ "

" _It was better that way_." Dreadbane sighed, " _I doubt she even remember who I was_."

"Uh... _He's_ not planning to _destroy_ us, is he?" Gawayne asked. This time, hiding behind Zarya.

"Not in the mood." Dreadbane glumly replied.

 _Wow_. The Mysticons never saw him _this sad_ before. Being rejected by an evil queen must have broke him really bad.

Before Arkayna could say another word, Nova Terron spoke, "It happened a thousand years ago. A time when there were no Mysticons. A time when the realm was protected by The Mystical Beasts, and The Astromancers."

* * *

 _A thousand years ago..._

 _A giant, worm-like beast emerged from the ground. Everyone flees in terror in order to avoid the beast's wrath._

 _A child tripped when he attempted to flee with his mother. He tried to stand up, but froze in fear when the worm was heading straight for him. Its razor-sharp mouth opened in front of him..._

 _As the child braced himself for the worst, a ray of light blasted the worm, causing into retreat back into the earth. The child's rescuer, one of the Astromancers, helped the child up, only to receive a hug from him later. Her hood fell down, revealing her long, bright red braid and dark red eyes._

* * *

"Among the Astromancers was a very powerful mage; Nessira Sundrop."

* * *

 _As the Astromancers made their way towards the Royal Palace, Nessira stopped every time just to help anyone that needed her help. In the end, the other Astromancers had to pull her away._

* * *

"She was kind, generous, selfless..."

"She had the most _beautiful_ heart in all the realm." Dreadbane blissfully smiled, "And such _grace_..."

* * *

 _Nessira suddenly bumped into a servant carrying a basket full of fruits, causing the contents to spill._

 _"Hi Nessira." The servant greeted._

 _"I'm so sorry, Imani." Nessira apologized as she bent down to grab the fallen fruits._

* * *

"Wait." Zarya interrupted, "Imani was a servant before she became the Dragon Mage?"

"Yes." Nova Terron replied, "Along with the other Original Mysticons. Carrying on..."

* * *

 _Nessira and Imani continue to pick the fruit off the ground. Nessira reached out for one fruit, only to touch another hand that was reaching for the same fruit._

 _By the blush on her face, it wasn't Imani's._

 _"Bane." Nessira nervously smiled at one of the royal guards with short brown hair._

 _"Hey Reggie." Imani greeted._

 _"Why don't you go ahead and I'll pick up where you left?" Bane offered._

 _"That's... nice." Nessira nervously replied._

* * *

" _Whoa, whoa, whoa!_ " Zarya interrupted, turning to Dreadbane, "That was _you_?"

" _Aww. You were so **little** and **cute**._" Piper gushed.

"What did Necrafa do to you?" Arkayna asked in disbelief. She couldn't believe someone so _big_ used to be... _human-sized_.

"And _Reginald's_ your real name?" Emerald added.

"I'm, _not proud of it_." Dreadbane glumly replied. _It's been a thousand years since he last used that name._

"Carrying on..." Nova continued with the story.

* * *

 _"Don't worry. I got them." Imani picked up two fruits and tossed them to Nessira, "A little something for **you**."_

 _Nessira caught the fruits, but in the process slipped and fell into Bane's arms. Nessira nervously panicked as she got off him and shyly but silently gave him the other fruit, much to Imani's amusement._

 _"There you are." A younger black-haired Nova Terron approached Nessira and began dragging her away, "Star Master Alpha Galaga is waiting for us."_

 _"Bye Nessira." Bane waved._

 _"Bye Reggie." Nessira cheerfully waved back._

* * *

"Wow." Zarya remarked, "Someone actually liked you thousand of years ago."

" _I wish I was that lucky!_ " Gawayne cried, thinking about his ex-girlfriend, much to the others' discomfort.

"I can't believe you dumped her for _Necrafa_." Emerald remarked.

"I did not _dump_ her." Dreadbane defended, "I never stopped thinking about her even after a thousand years. _But then she banished me in that wasteland..._ "

"Wait." Arkayna interrupted, " _Necrafa_ banished you in that wasteland."

That's when realization struck The Mysticons, " _Oh our goblin._ "

" _Nessira Sundrop._ " Nova Terron darkly muttered, " _Future Queen of the Undead._ "

* * *

 **Hey Readers! I don't know how the ending should go;**

 **1\. Should Dreadbane rejoin the dark side?**

 **2\. Or should he risk his undead life for the Mysticons?**

 **Help me choose my ending. Or, close to my ending.**

 **Sigh. Poor Proxima. Poor Dreadbane. Poor Necrafa.**

 **It might have ended happy, but there was so much heartbreak in the episode.**


	2. A Mystical Beginning

"Necrafa was an _Astromancer?_ " Malvaron remarked in disbelief.

"How come _we_ never heard of _that_ before?" Queen Goodfey demanded.

" _What did_ _ **you**_ _do?_ " Arkayna narrowed her eyes at Nova Terron.

" _Me?_ What about _him?_ " Nova Terron protested, gesturing to Dreadbane.

Unfortunately, all glaring eyes were on the Star Master. _Of course. His_ _ **history**_ _with The Mysticons._

Sighing in defeat, he replied, " _It's what I_ _ **couldn't**_ _do._ "

* * *

 _"Seriously, Nessira." Young Nova Terron remarked as they made their way through the halls of the Royal Palace to rejoin their fellow Astromancers, "You don't always have to stop and help everyone."_

 _"I'm just doing my job, Nova Terron." Nessira defended, "It's our duty as Astromancers to become beacons of hope and light to those who have suffered in the hands of darkness and despair."_

* * *

" _Aww._ She actually said _that? So sweet._ " Piper awed before grabbing Nova Terron by the collar, " _ **What did you do to that sweet Astromancer?!**_ "

" _I'm getting there!_ " Nova replied nervously.

* * *

 _"What do you ever see in that Royal Guard?" Nova asked._

 _"Excuse me?" Nessira asked defiantly._

* * *

" _Excuse_ _ **me?**_ " Dreadbane glared, towering before the Star Master, still being _'threatened'_ by Piper.

The Astromancer chuckled nervously, " _I, meant to_ _ **skip that.**_ "

* * *

 _"Nessira!" Nova called, "The Mystical Beasts have summoned us!"_

 _Nessira looked up from her book in surprise, "The Mystical Beasts?"_

* * *

 _The two Astromancers arrived at the Royal Palace where the other Astromancers, along with the Royal Family, the servants and the Royal Guards, gathered around 4 giant beasts; The Phoenix. The Unicorn. The Wolf. The Dragon._

 _ **The Mystical Beasts. The Guardians of The Realm.**_

 _Why do they look..._ _ **weary?**_

 _"What's happening?" Nessira whispered._

 _"I'm afraid our_ _ **time**_ _has come, old friends." The Dragon spoke._

 _Murmurs of dismay echoed across the room. For years, The Mystical Beasts have aided them in protecting the realm from dark forces. They can't just_ _ **go! Not yet!**_

 _"On our word, our dear Mystical friends;" Star Master Alpha Galaga swore, "We'll continue to protect the realm in your honor."_

 _"But we will never leave you." The Dragon turned to his fellow Beasts._

 _The Beasts reached up to touch claws, hoof and wing. A glowing orb of light appeared in the middle. The Astromancers beamed when they felt the powerful amount of energy radiating from it._

 _By the stars._ _ **The Mystical Beasts are bestowing them, the Astromancers, with THEIR POWER!**_

 _Nessira gave a start when someone touched her shoulder. She turned around only for her entire face to turn red when she saw..._ _ **him.**_

 _"Bane!" She greeted as silently as she can to avoid a scene. The next thing she knew, she was stuttering incomplete words in front of him._

* * *

" _Wow._ " Zarya remarked, "How did _she_ turn into _the Queen of the Undead?_ "

"How did you two even _met_?" Malvaron asked Dreadbane.

"She thought I was a _bear,_ I thought she was a _banshee._ " Dreadbane replied, only to receive confused looks from the others, "It was _night time._ "

" _Moving on..._ " Nova Terron continued.

* * *

 _After a few more moments of stuttering, Nessira managed a small wave while smiling sheepishly at the object of her affections._

 _"This has got be one of the most tragic events that has happened in Gemina." Bane mused, watching the scene with sad eyes._

 _Before Nessira had a chance to reply, Imani came in first, "Indeed."_

 _Nessira wanted to comment, but her stuttering kept stopping her every time._

 _"At least their powers won't go to waste." Yuna joined in. That's when she noticed Nessira looking like she was out of breathe._

 _"It's a shame to see them go." Bane mused._

 _"Yes." Kafras sniffed, unaware that Yuna was calling for them, "They were always there for us when we needed them."_

 _"Their efforts will not be in vain!" Taizer declared, shaking his fist in the air._

 _Suddenly, he, Kafras and Imani were dragged by Yuna who turned their attention to a still-nervous Nessira._

 _Oh. They get it._

 _Imani gently pushed the Astromancer towards Bane, "Reggie, Nessira is in a state of shock."_

 _"You think you could be a dear and calm the poor thing down?" Yuna asked, gently nudging Nessira towards him._

 _Nessira just stood frozen in place with a wide smile, unable to say anything._

 _So Taizer and Kafras had to give her a slight_ _ **push...**_

 _The next thing the Astromancer knew, she found herself in Bane's arms. The two locked eyes. For a moment, nothing else in the world mattered to them._

 _After a few moments of floating, the orb began to flicker, alerting everyone in the room. The orb separated into 4 different colored lights that began flying across the room._

 _This is_ _ **IT! This is what the Astromancers have been waiting for in their years of defending the realm!**_

 _The lights flew at the same direction and surrounded the ones they have been searching for, the ones who will be bestowed with powers of_ _ **The Mystical Beasts!**_

 _When the light died down to reveal the Chosen Ones, the Astromancers could only gape in shock and disbelief._

 _ **What, just happened?**_

 _One minute they were playing matchmaker. The next thing they knew they were surrounded in light, and their clothes changed and everyone in the room was staring at them._

 _And then,_ _ **The Mystical Beasts approached them...?!**_

 _"_ _ **Taizer Silverwind!**_ _" The Wolf spoke, "_ _ **You have been blessed with the spirit of The Wolf!**_ _"_

 _A shocked Taizer fiddled with his bow until he shot an arrow on the ceiling._

 _The Unicorn turned to Kafras, "_ _ **Kafras Gleamington! The might of The Unicorn!**_ _"_

 _Kafras swung his sword around until he managed to blast..._ _ **something**_ _with it._

 _"_ _ **Yuna McCactus!**_ _" The Phoenix addressed, "_ _ **The burning passion of The Phoenix!**_ _"_

 _Yuna threw her hoop up only to catch two more._

 _"_ _ **Imani Firewing!**_ _" The Dragon roared, "_ _ **You have been endowed with the power of The Dragon!**_ _"_

 _A shocked Imani gripped her staff, unknowingly unleashing a green ball of fire at the sky where it exploded into sparkles of light, delighting everyone in the room._

 _ **All except one Star Master...**_

 _"Use your powers wisely. Protect the realm." The Dragon told Imani who could only nod at the moment. He then turned to Alpha Galaga, "Guide them well."_

 _The Star Master gave a respectful nod, "We will."_

* * *

" _Yeah. They didn't take it well._ " Dreadbane remarked as he petted Choko, much to the Foz' delight.

" _What?_ " Nova remarked sheepishly, "We were _honored._ We get to train 4 _inexperienced servants_ to master the power which _we rightfully..._ _ **OKAY! IT WAS NOT OKAY! It should've been US!**_ "

The current Star Master began to thrash like a little kid, creeping the others out. _So much_ that Arkayna had to levitate the couches a few inches away from him.

"I'm guessing their first day of training didn't go so well." Arkayna suggested.

"You had to be there to see it." Dreadbane spoke back, "I was."

* * *

 _"Hi Nessie." Bane was caught by surprise when he was suddenly thrown to the floor._

* * *

" _Wow._ " Zarya winced, "What did you ever see in _her?_ "

Dreadbane sighed blissfully before regaining his composure, "At least she was the more _reasonable_ one."

" _Hey!_ " Nova Terron protested.

* * *

 _"Bane!" Nessira helped him back on his feet, "W-what are you doing_ _ **here?**_ _"_

 _"The Royal Family sent me." Bane explained, "I'm to report to them the progress of The Chosen Ones' training."_

 _"Well..." Nessira replied unsurely. He soon found out_ _ **why;**_

 _All I can say is..._ _ **Ouch.**_

 _When the Chosen Ones approached the Star Master, they were all bruised and burnt, that they passed out on the floor._

 _"It appears you're unaware how serious the situation is." Alpha Galaga scolded, "Well what do you expect from those who are_ _ **inexperienced**_ _and_ _ **ignorant**_ _in the power of the cosmos?"_

 _Nessira scowled at her Star Master. She needs a word with him..._

* * *

 _"I think that was a bit too rough for them." Nessira voiced her thoughts to Alpha Galaga while Bane secretly listened from a respective distance._

 _"Your point, Nessira?" The Star Master asked with an unmindful tone._

 _"They're new to this, Star Master." Nessira pointed out, "They are like seeds; with a little_ _ **patience**_ _and_ _ **love,**_ _"_

 _"They'll grow into_ _ **weeds.**_ _" Alpha Galaga finished bitterly, "Scattering all around... Causing trouble... Disrupting the balance of nature... They're better off_ _ **exterminated!**_ _"_

 _"Star Master!" Nessira scolded, "You're being_ _ **unfair...**_ _"_

 _"These_ _ **children**_ _are_ _ **MY**_ _responsibility,_ _ **Nessira.**_ _" Alpha Galaga turned to his student with a dark scowl, "You are_ _ **NOT**_ _to_ _ **INTERUPPT**_ _with_ _ **MY**_ _teachings._ _ **Is that CLEAR?**_ _"_

 _Nessira was caught by surprise by her Star Master's cold demeanor. He_ _ **never**_ _spoke like_ _ **this**_ _before._

* * *

" _That's the guy that ordered you to_ _ **baby-nap**_ _me?_ " Zarya angrily remarks in disbelief.

"He sounded... _reasonable_ to me." Nova Terron attempted to, _reason._

" _Reasonable._ " Dreadbane scoffed.

"Congratulations." Arkayna scowled at Nova Terron, "You just made me agree with the guy who tried to kill me and my friends."

"We're starting to see where this is going." Darius scowled at the Star Master.

"Can we get to their first mission first?" Piper waved her hand.

* * *

 _It was a sunny day._

 _Well... it_ _ **was**_ _suppose to be a sunny day. Until the Shadows came._

 _They came out of nowhere, attacking innocent civilians, draining them of their life force._

 _The Astromancers were not luckier._

 _Nessira didn't notice the Shadow looming behind her until it grabbed her and opened its mouth, ready to drain the magical energy out of her._

 _It's a_ _ **good**_ _thing her knight-in-shining-armor was there to slice the Shadow's arm away and catch her in his arms._

 _"Hey." Bane smiled at her._

 _"Heeey." Nessira smiled blissfully._

 _Unaware that her Star Master just protected them from a Shadow attack._

 _"What are you doing here, Soldier? Get to safety!" Alpha Galaga ordered._

 _"I have orders...?!"_

 _"This is_ _ **our**_ _fight!" The Star Master cut him off rather sharply, "We don't need any_ _ **interference...!"**_

 _The next thing he knew, the Star Master was being held up by the Alpha Shadow. A Shadow 10 times more gigantic than the others._

 _It opened its mouth,_ _ **ready for its meal...**_

* * *

 **Just a recap from the previous chapter;**

 **You want Dreadbane to rejoin the dark side, or to sacrifice his undead life for the Mysticons?**


	3. Special Training

_**"STAR MASTER!"**_

 _Nessira blasted the Shadow, but it had no effect. What's worst was that Bane had to carry her away in his arms in order to not get pulverized by the Shadow's... feet?_

 _Alpha Galaga struggles to break free from the Shadow's grip. He didn't want it to end like_ _ **this!**_ _There was no way he was going to entrust the safety of the realm to a bunch of...?!_

 _Something blasted the Shadow's tentacle, releasing the Star Master in the process. His fall was cushioned by a levitating force field, curtousy of the Knight._

 _"I thougt I told you that you are_ _ **not**_ _ready." The Star Master scowled at the Mysticons._

 _The Mysticons replied by blasting the Shadow that was about to attack him from behind._

 _"First time's the charm." Taizer spoke back._

 _When the Shadows sensed more powerful energies in the vicinity, they immediately drop every victim and slithered towards the source;_ _ **The Mysticons.**_

 _"Imani_ _ **NO!**_ _" Nessira reached out to the Dragon Mage, but Bane held her back protectively._

 _The Shadows surrounded the Mysticons. The next thing they knew, they were blasted away by a powerful force. Or_ _ **4.**_

 _Everyone watched with complete shock;_ _ **None**_ _of the Chosen Ones were backing down. They keep fighting, never letting their guard down._

 _When all the Shadows once more struck at the same time, all 4 Mysticons utilized their Animal Bracers, forcing the Shadows to flee._

 _"Shadows 0, Mysticons 1." Kafras proudly declared as he and his fellow teammates high-fived in victory._

 _"I have concerns about the_ _ **name.**_ _" Taizer remarked as everyone cheered for their heroes._

 _The only ones who weren't celebrating were the Astromancers. (Minus Nessira)_

 _How could they have easily defeated those beasts? They did poorly in their training that they kept attacking and bumping into one another!_

* * *

"We never expected such progress." Nova Terron reminisced, " _Ever._ How they were able to improve overnight was a mystery to us. Every mission, they were able to overpower their adversaries. Every time, we kept wondering what was the secret to their success. _Until that night..._ "

* * *

 _"Nessira?" Nova Terron was surprised when he bumped into his fellow Astromancer, "Where are you going at this time of night?"_

 _Where was she going late at night? This was the time most of the Astromancers would consult the stars, meditate, or just go to sleep. By the direction she was going to, it looks like she was going out._

 _But_ _ **where?**_

 _"Nessira!" Bane suddenly approached the two Astromancers. When he saw Nova Terron, he began acting flabbergasted, "Oh. Nova Terron... We..."_

 _Nessira was surprised when Bane wrapped an arm around her shoulders. Her eyes lit up as if an idea struck her, "We were just, um... uh..."_

 _Nova shook his head in disbelief, "Oh Nessie."_

 _"We won't be long." Nessira looked at him with pleading eyes, "Please don't tell anyone about..._ _ **this.**_ _"_

 _Nova was still doubtful, but then gave a defeated sigh, "Oh alright. You take care of her, Soldier."_

 _"Yes Sir." Bane saluted before offering his arm for Nessira to take as he escorted her out._

* * *

" _Aw._ " Malvaron teased, " _Big Bro Terron._ "

"I was being... _watchful._ " Nova Terron scowled in annoyance.

" _Sure you were._ " Dreadbane smirked, " _N..._ "

" _Don't, you,_ _ **DARE.**_ " The Star Master warned.

 _Unfortunately..._

" _No-No Terry._ "

The others chuckled at the nickname.

Nova Terron hid his face in embarassment. _Nessira. Where did she even come up with_ _ **that**_ _nickname?_ _ **Why**_ _did she even come up with_ _ **that**_ _nickname?_

" _Anyway..._ " Still humiliated, Nova Terron continued with his story.

* * *

 _There they go_ _ **again**_ _._

 _ **Seriously.**_ _What does she even see in that Royal Guard?_

 _Well... It's probably nothing to be fussed about._

 _But just_ _ **in case...**_

* * *

 _Where are they going?_

 _Nova Terron has been following the couple for a while now. For some eerie reason, wherever they were going, seams..._ _ **secluded.**_

 _He kept following them as they made their way through the woods. Alpha Galaga forbidded anyone to enter this section of the woods, claiming that it was still tainted with dark magic even after they drove the demons away._

 _So why would Nessira...?!_

 _The rows of tree stopped, revealing a beautiful field in front of him. Nova Terron's baffling thoughts of dark illusions were put to a halt when he heard a blast. He rushed to the source, only to hide behind a tree when he saw Nessira fighting against..._ _ **The Mysticons?!**_

 _Okay. Kafras should have picked a better name._

 _Just a few feet away from the fight, Nova saw Bane. He was just sitting there, not stopping the fight or anything._ _ **Not helping...!**_

 _Realization struck Nova Terron; Sneaking out in the middle of night? A secluded area? Sudden improvement of skills? Nessira fighting the Mysticons?_

 _Nessira has been_ _ **secrety training the Mysticons!**_

 _And after Alpha Galaga told her_ _ **NOT to interfere!**_

 _Nessira blasted the Mysticons as they tirelessly block her attacks. If they had the chance, they could directly attack her, but so far, none managed to land a single hit on her._

 _It was Imani's turn to try to land a hit on Nessira. As always, Nessira managed to use her magic to stop the Dragon Mage's staff._

 _Imani smirked, "_ _ **He's WATCHING.**_ _"_

 _"Oh please." Nessira playfully scoffed._

 _She strikes, but Imani moved out of the way, forcing her to fall on top of Bane in complete surprise._

 _"Hiiiiiiiiiiiiii." Nessira smiled sheepishly at the Royal Guard._

 _Nova Terron rolled his eyes in annoyance._ _ **Really Imani? And Nessira, how could a powerful Astromancer such as yourself, "fall" for such a trick?**_

 _Nova Terron continued to observe the group from his hiding place after Nessira got back to her feet (thanks to Bane). Instead of getting mad, she smirked and made feathers magically appear in the air to tickle Imani as punishment. Their friends laughed at her predicament, until they were chased and tickled as well._

 _ **This,**_ _was_ _ **training?**_ _Nova wanted to stomp over there and scold Nessira for her_ _ **unproffesional**_ _behaviour, yet found himself..._ _ **hesitating.**_

 _ **Why?**_ _She was_ _ **disobeying**_ _Star Master's orders. She should be_ _ **punished.**_

 _Yet, he found himself,_ _ **unable**_ _to do so._

 _He watched as they all tripped and fell on top of Bane. They all laughed at their predicament, like a bunch of children. So_ _ **happy...**_

 _ **He... probably just let it slide... for now...**_

* * *

 _She looked around. She can't risk getting caught. If she does..._

 _"Nessira."_

 _ **Oh great!**_

 _Hesitantly, she turned around, only to meet the serious, scolding gaze of her Star Master._

 _"What were you doing outside at this time of night?" Alpha Galaga demanded._

 _Before Nessira could answer, someone else beated her to it._

 _"She was helping me with surveillance, Star Master." Nova Terron cut in, "I thought I saw some Stargoyles lurking around and requested for her help."_

 _Now Alpha's cold gaze was set on him, "Very well..."_

 _With that, the Star Master left without saying another word._

 _Nessira sighed in relief, but before she could question Nova Terron..._

 _"I still think you could do_ _ **better.**_ _" Nova Terron remarked._

 _Nessira scoffed, "Really?"_

 _The female Astromancer left, greatly relieved that noone knew the_ _ **actual**_ _reason why she snuck out._

 _Or so she thought..._

* * *

" _Oh sure._ " Zarya remarked, "You have the heart to not rat on your _friend,_ but you couldn't say ' _no_ ' to the guy who ordered you to separate innocent _baby_ twins."

" _How do you think she ended up as Necrafa in the first place?_ " Nova Terron continued, "Every night I kept watch on her. Sometimes, she'd stay. Other times, when she had a chance, she'd sneak out, just to train your predecessors."

* * *

 _Finally. After 3 nights, she finally snuck out._

 _Nova Terron followed her to the secret training ground. The Mysticons weren't there yet._

 _A bird-like screech echoed from the sky. Nova hid behind the trees, just as Bane descended on the ground on his Griffin and quickly approached Nessira with a worried look on his face._

 _"Nessie, you okay?" He asked._

 _"Bane. What are you doing here?" Nessira returned in surprise, "I thought you were on guard duty in the Palace."_

 _Suddenly, the Mysticons emerged with their Griffins._

 _"Reggie, thank goodness you're here." Yuna spoke with relief. Although, there was something_ _ **suspicious**_ _about her tone._

 _"Yeah. We need all the help we could get." Imani spoke in the same tone, "We just spotted some Shadow Demons in the vicinity. You two stay here and keep guard while we fight them off."_

 _"Wait." Nessira stopped them before they took off, "Shouldn't there be_ _ **three**_ _of_ _ **us**_ _to keep watch?"_

 _"Exactly. I...!" Taizer was silenced by an "accidental" zap from Imani's staff._

 _"Relax." Yuna motioned her Griffin to push Nessira_ _ **closer**_ _to Bane, "You two can handle it._ _ **Together.**_ _"_

 _Nessira didn't have time to protest as she found her hand inter-twining with Bane's, and her eyes staring at his..._

* * *

" _Skip it._ _ **Skip it!**_ " Dreadbane angrily demanded in front of Nova Terron.

" _I am! I_ _ **AM!**_ " The Star Master nervously assured, _much to the others' relief/disappointment._

Once the skeleton returned back to his seat, Arkayna spoke, " _So..._ "

"You're too _young_." Dreadbane shot back.

" _I'm_ _ **15.**_ "

 _ **"Exactly."**_

 _Too bad they won't be hearing about the_ _ **good parts...**_

* * *

 _Maybe_ _ **he**_ _wasn't such a bad guy after all. So far..._

 _From his hiding place, Nova watched as the..._ _ **c-ou-ple...**_ _laid on the grass, watching the starry sky._

 _"Too bad we didn't encounter those Shadow Demons." Bane spoke, not taking his eyes away from the sky._

 _"Yes. Too bad." Nessira spoke back, not taking her eyes off him._

 _Nova heard small giggling and turned to the bushes on the left where the Mysticons hid as they watched the two with amusement in their eyes._

 _"You know;" Bane turned to Nessira, "You're one-of-a-kind."_

 _Nessira slightly flinched in surprise, "'One-of-a-kind'?"_

 _This also caught Nova Terron's attention. He slightly moved his head forward to hear better._

 _"You're not..." Bane paused to find the right word, "_ _ **threatened.**_ _You gave Imani and the others a chance to prove themselves. You were willing to risk your title just so that you can help them reach their full potential. So that they could help lives. Just like you and the other Astromancers. That's what I_ _ **admire**_ _about you."_

 _Nessira blushed in response. If only, she could tell him, how much she..._

 _Nova Terron never thought of it like that. But he did felt... like he was going to be_ _ **replaced.**_

 _He and the Astromancers spent their whole lives protecting the realm. For_ _ **centuries. More**_ _in fact._

 _When the day came that the Mystical Beasts were going to choose the ones who are_ _ **worthy**_ _for them to bestow their powers to, the Astromancers thought that all their hard work have finally paid off._

 _But_ _ **no.**_

 _Instead, the Mystical Beasts, chose_ _ **them;**_ _4_ _ **teenagers.**_ _4_ _ **non-magical**_ _beings. 4_ _ **inexperienced... unskillful...**_

 _Nova Terron stopped to reconsider; Even when they did poorly during the training course, the Mysticons were able to save_ _ **many**_ _lives during their first mission._

 _Even_ _ **his**_ _life. Along with the lives of the other Astromancers._

 _They didn't even hesitate to sacrifice_ _ **their**_ _own lives for the safety of others._

 _Perhaps they have been too_ _ **jealous**_ _of the Mysticons. After all, the have the same common goal;_ _ **to protect the realm**_ _._

 _Maybe it is about time he gets to_ _ **really**_ _know these_ _ **heroes.**_

 _After a few more comments from Bane, which caused a lot of prying eyes to shed a lot of tears, the couple took each other by the hand, and went to search for the Mysticons. Since it was almost dawn._

 _Which means he better get going before they even spot him._

 _Unaware to anyone, the Mysticons and the Astromancer were not the only ones spying on Nessira..._

 _A being of great power... She is_ _ **perfect...**_

 _They just need to find a way to_ _ **darken**_ _her pure heart..._

* * *

 _The moment the Astromancer entered the Star Chamber, he was greated by the scowling face of his Star Master._

 _"_ _ **I should've known it was you.**_ _" Alpha Galaga spoke coldly as he slowly approached his pupil who backed away in fear, "_ _ **Is this what you want Nova Terron? To surrender the legacy of the Astromancers to those... DEVIANTS?!**_ _"_

 _"_ _ **It wasn't me!**_ _" Nova Terron realized what he just said and covered his mouth. Unfortunately for him, the Griffin's out of the bag._

 _"Then_ _ **who?**_ _" Alpha Galaga demanded._

 _ **He had no choice...**_

* * *

Doug cried as Malvaron comforted him, " _Why?! She was your friend!_ "

" _You Astro-_ _ **MONSTER!**_ " Gawayne cried as well. _It's a surprise he's been listening all this time._

As the two tearfully hugged each other, Nova Terron hung his head in shame, "Believe me; I _tried_ to stop myself. But Alpha Galaga... When, he confronted Nessira, she refused to step down, reasoning that she trained them for the good of the realm."

"So... Did he...?" Piper hesitated to ask.

Nova briefly turned to Dreadbane. The skeleton scowled at him before turning to the others.

" _He did the_ _ **unforgiveable...**_ "

* * *

 **Just as I requested in the previous chapter. For the** _ **last**_ **time;**

 **Rejoin the dark side? Or sacrifice?**


	4. Birth of The Queen

_Why?_ _ **WHY?!**_

 _She kept running and running. She looked back, only to regret it; They were still coming after her. The one accused of_ _ **Dark Magic.**_

 _All she did was study about Dark Magic, so that she can pinpoint the roots of Dark Magic and_ _ **prevent**_ _it from spreading. All she did was_ _ **heal**_ _a_ _ **dying**_ _person._

 _That gave Alpha Galaga enough reason to accuse her of practicing the forbidden arts. He did all of_ _ **this**_ _just because she...!_

 _She managed to leap out of the way to avoid a magical blast. She hid behind a tree; The angry mob passed the tree, not bothering to check the Astromancer hidden behind it._

 _Nessira sighed in relief..._ _ **until the tree was blasted by...**_

 _"_ _ **Imani!**_ _" Nessira fearfully backed away in fear._

 _"We're not here to hurt you." Imani assured by dropping her staff. The other Mysticons followed by dropping their weapons too._

 _They believe her. Her friends... they_ _ **BELIEVE**_ _she's...?!_

 _A ray of light blasted her from above. The Mysticons turned around in shock upon seeing the Star Master levitating before them._

 _"_ _ **Excellent work, Mysticons.**_ _" Alpha Galaga scowled at his former student._

 _Nessira laid on the ground, her face held looks of shock and betrayal._ _ **How could they? And after everything they've been through?!**_

 _More Astromancers appeared, even a guilty Nova Terron. Just as they were about to magically restrain her, something/someone swooped down and grabbed Nessira in his arms._

 _"Bane?" Nessira looked at the Royal Guard with a mix of surprise and fear in her eyes._

 _"I've known you too long to_ _ **never**_ _get involve in such magic!" Bane looked her straight in the eye with such affirmity as his Griffin carried them both on his back._

 _Nessira didn't know what to say. It's... It's just happening all_ _ **too fast!**_

 _Nessira found comfort in Bane's chest as he led her, far away from her oppressors._

* * *

 _Why did she ask him to bring her_ _ **here? Why?**_

 _Nessira couldn't think clearly anymore. The special place she and, the Mysticons sneak off too in the middle of the night..._ _ **doesn't**_ _look so special anymore._

 _Everywhere she looked, she is reminded of the happy moments she had with the Mysticons; The Griffin Races, the bonfire moments, the tickle fights, the little_ _ **secrets**_ _they share, etc._

 _Then they were replaced by the..._ _ **not-so-happy memories.**_

 _She sat by the lake in the middle of the field. Just as she leaned down for a drink, she saw her reflection on the lake,_ _ **replaced by the angry mob...**_

 _Nessira pulled away only to sob in her hands._

 _ **Why? WHY?!**_

 _All she wanted was to help the Mysticons. To help the_ _ **realm! To protect people!**_

 _She knew Alpha Galaga would scold her for disobeying his orders._ _ **But she never knew he would WRONGFULLY ACCUSE HER OF...!**_

 _ **Now everyone thinks she's a user of the DARK ARTS! IT'S NOT FAIR!**_

 _Bane just couldn't bear to see her like this._ _ **Why that Alpha Galaga...!**_

 _He suddenly felt a presence behind him and unsheathed his sword as he turned to face his adversary. Nessira felt it too and turned around. Both gaped in shock at the tall Shadow Demon in front of them._

 _"_ _ **Poor thing.**_ _" The Shadow purred. As he took a step forward, Bane pointed his sword at him, "_ _ **Fear not, noble warrior. I have come to offer comfort.**_ _"_

 _"Shadow Demons aren't known for giving_ _ **'comfort'.**_ _" Bane_ _ **pointed**_ _out._

 _"_ _ **Very well then.**_ _" Surprisingly, the Shadow turned to leave, "_ _ **And to think you were one of the most powerful of the Astromancers. Now, you have been DOWNGRADED. All because of those ungrateful fools. And after EVERYTHING YOU DID FOR THEM.**_ _"_

 _Nessira solemnly looked down, "If only I could show them... to prove to them all the lies... then I can go back... to my friends."_

 _"_ _ **And you CAN.**_ _" The Shadow turned to face them again._

 _He held his hand up. In a flash of light, a sinister-looking black and white mask appeared._

 _Bane stood his ground at the sight of the mask. Nessira, on the other hand, felt_ _ **drawn**_ _to the mask._

 _Bane's concerned cries fell deaf in her ears as she slowly approached the mask. Once she was in a respectable distance, she reached out to take the mask._

 _At first she hesitated. She could feel a dark force of energy radiating from the mask._

 _The last thing she wanted was to be_ _ **corrupted by Dark Magic.**_

 _She doesn't want to hurt anyone. Even after they wrongfully accused her._

 _ **Yet... that didn't stop her from taking the mask...**_

 _Black tendrils suddenly appeared around the mask, causing it to latch itself on Nessira's face. Bane rushed in to get the mask off her, but Nessira has already levitated into the air as the rest of her was covered in more black tendrils, giving her a new form, complete with a dark red, bat-like cape._

 _When the transformation was complete, the newly-transformed former Astromancer fell unconscious on the ground._

 _The Shadow smirked in satisfaction before disappearing._ _ **Now to wait for the fun to begin...**_

 _"_ _ **Nessira!**_ _" Bane rushed to Nessira's side and cradled her head in his arms._

 _When Nessira opened her eyes, the first thing she saw was a worried Bane. She reached out a hand to touch his face, only to stop when she noticed her arm was_ _ **white.**_ _She managed to sit up straight and examine her new form, but she needed a full visual._

 _Using her magic, she levitated water from the lake towards her. She gathered enough to form a make-shift mirror that reflected her entire self._

 _ **Which she soon regretted to see.**_

 _Standing before her was not a red-head in brown robes, but a tall, black and white creature with a bat-like cape._

 _The sight of it caused her to unknowingly zap the water mirror and fall on her back in complete shock._ _ **How could she let this happen?! Now everyone will think she's a MONSTER! Even...!**_

 _"Nessie?"_

 _Bane approached her, but she defensively held up her hand._

 _"No, don't!" To her surprise, Bane touched her hand with his, "Aren't you..._ _ **afraid?**_ _"_

 _"Why should I?" Bane replied softly, "You_ _ **don't**_ _look any_ _ **different.**_ _"_

 _Nessira was left speechless. He was l_ _ooking at her with surprised eyes. Yet, they also held a hint of_ _ **comfort**_ _in them. She searched for any signs of_ _ **fear,**_ _but found_ _ **nothing.**_

 _ **After what happened, he was the ONLY one she could entrust her life too...**_

 _Then..._ _ **Imani blasted her.**_

 _"Bane!" Imani rushed to the Royal Guard's side along with the other Mysticons and Nova Terron._

 _"Where's Nessira?" Nova Terron asked, only to be blasted by a black humanoid creature. An_ _ **angry**_ _black humanoid creature._

 _"_ _ **And to think,**_ _" The creature spoke darkly, "_ _ **I TRUSTED you. No-No Terry.**_ _"_

 _Nova Terron shot up in shock. The others were equally shocked as well._

 _ **"Nessira?"**_

 _Nessira responded by blasting them with her Dark Magic._

 _"_ _ **NESSIRA IS DEAD!**_ _" She snapped, blasting them in a blind rage, "_ _ **Abandoned! Betrayed by her so-called 'family'!**_ _"_

 _"We didn't mean...!" Yuna tried to reason, but was hit instead._

 _Imani hesitated to counterattack. She didn't want to hurt her Solon. And her_ _ **friend.**_ _And_ _ **sister-like figure.**_

 _Kafras and Taizer were attacked._ _ **She has no choice...**_

 _Imani pointed her staff at Nessira. Balls of green fire were heading straight for her. To everyone's shock,_ _ **Bane**_ _deflected them._

 _"_ _ **She was YOUR FRIEND.**_ _" Bane spoke darkly._

 _Imani was too shocked to even evade the next incoming attack..._

* * *

" _And just like that, Necrafa was born._ " Nova Terron finished solemnly, " _All because I couldn't keep my mouth shut. One-by-one, the Mysticons fell, until Imani was the only one left standing. The rest was, history._ "

At first, no one said anything. _But they were listening to Doug's and Gawayne's crying._

This was a side to, Necrafa they never heard before. The evil queen who terrorized the realm thousand years ago, turned out to be a kind-hearted Astromancer who was _wrongfully_ accused of practicing the dark arts, _all because she was helping the Original Mysticons._

" _How could you keep such a secret from us?_ " Queen Goodfey shook her head in disappointment and disbelief.

" _So all these times... Everything that has been happening... Was because of_ _ **you.**_ " Arkayna pointed out.

"When, I heard there were _new_ Mysticons, I, _panicked._ " The Star Master went on, "I thought you were an, _omen._ A _warning_ that the past would return to haunt us. When you told us that Necrafa would return,"

"You asked us to _destroy_ the Codex." Zarya finished, narrowing her eyes, " _Because you were too_ _ **afraid**_ _to face your old friend._ "

" _Yes._ " Nova Terron admitted shamefully.

" _That day,_ _ **you**_ _brought_ _ **destruction**_ _to the realm._ " Dreadbane scowled at the Astromancer, " _All because you refused to_ _ **trust**_ _a bunch of teenagers. You risked harming_ _ **your**_ _ **own,**_ _just for the sake of your_ _ **title**_ _._ "

This time, the Star Master didn't say anything. He just bowed his head in shame.

The moment of silence was interrupted by Zarya's spellpad. Once she answered the call, Kitty's voice was heard. _Followed by sounds of clashing weapons, and inhuman screams._

Zarya ended the call and turned to the others, "They're here."

"Let's split up." Arkayna ordered as the group separated into teams.

" _I'm sticking with the skeleton!_ " Gawayne nervously called, much to Dreadbane's confusion.

"How, _unbearable_ are you again?" The muscular skeleton asked.

" _Been nice knowing ya._ " Zarya remarked before leaving with the others.

Dreadbane just shrugged as he and Choko began to listen to the prince talking about his failed ' _romantic_ ' relationship.

 _Well... He has been trying to find a way out of his undead_ _ **curse...**_

* * *

When Zarya and the others reached the starship, the Pink Skulls were helping each other get back on their feet. But the ones who attacked them were already gone.

As per Arkayna's orders, the group splitted into smaller groups, and Zarya was stuck with the guy who baby-napped her, and her mother.

"What were they like?" Queen Goodfey asked as they searched for the two dark mages.

" _Sneaky, conniving,_ " Zarya replied bitterly, " _terrible taste in fashion,_ "

"I meant your adoptive parents." The queen corrected.

Zarya momentarily froze in surprise. _Her birth parent asking about her adoptive parents. This, she did_ _ **not**_ _expect._

"Well... They can be, _embarrassing,_ " Zarya reminisced.

" _Every_ parent is like that." Queen Goodfey playfully rolled her eyes with a smile. _After all; She is a_ _ **mother.**_

"Always telling me to be a _good, little girl_." Zarya's expression began to soften, "But... they always got my back whenever I needed them. Every day of my life. _Until..._ "

"It would have been a blessing to meet them personally." Goodfey smiled, which her daughter returned.

The moment was broken when they heard sniffing. They turned around, only to find Nova Terron wiping the tears from his eyes.

A scream alerted the three. They ran towards the source, only to find Gawayne crying over a holographic photo of his ex-girlfriend, Lateensia. ( _Get over her already!_ )

"Great." Zarya remarked as he walked over to Dreadbane, "You _bored_ him to _death._ "

Suddenly, the skeleton jolted awake, "I'm not dead. _But I should be._ "

Choko jumped on his skull, mimicking his annoyance.

The next thing everyone knew, they found themselves trapped inside a dark purple force field. Zarya and Nova blasted the force field many times, but couldn't even make a hole large enough to escape.

 _Then_ _ **she**_ _appeared._

"Proxima, is it?" Queen Goodfey recalled what her daughters told her about the fallen Astromancers.

The bespectacled Astromancer just slightly bowed at the queen with a look of indifference before turning around and summoning an all too familiar sinister looking mask.

" _Proxima... you can't..._ " Nova Terron pleaded.

" _Do you know_ _ **why**_ _I joined the Astromancers in the first place?_ " Proxima asked bitterly, " _I thought I finally found a place where I belong. A purpose. A reason why I matter. Then I realized;_ _ **It was all just a BIG, LIE.**_ "

Nova Terron could only look away with guilt. _Maybe if he had opened his heart, he would have not hurt others._ _ **Just like his star master.**_

" _You're quite fortunate, Mysticon Ranger._ " Proxima continued, not taking her eyes off the mask, " _You know, I didn't know how to react to the fact that I had a long-lost sister. And just as I was warming up to her..._ _ **another LIE.**_ "

"You can't blame her, Proxima." Zarya reasoned. _She also didn't like the idea of another orphan being used as a decoy for her sake._

" _Oh I don't blame_ _ **her**_ _._ " Proxima lifted down her sleeve, revealing the bracelet Arkayna gave her before lifting it back up, " _I just wish, that moment didn't have to end. That it could_ _ **go on. And she wouldn't even notice. Forever.**_ "

Realization struck Nova and Zarya when they saw the way Proxima was looking at Necrafa's mask.

" _She won't forgive you if she finds out._ " Zarya pointed out.

" _She won't have to._ _ **I'll just have to make sure it doesn't come to that.**_ " Proxima shot back darkly.

"Proxima, Necrafa will _never_ agree to that." Nova Terron tried to reason, "The moment you bring her back, _she will_ _ **destroy**_ _you!_ "

" _You're just_ _ **afraid**_ _to confront your former fellow Astromancer!_ " Proxima shot back.

 _She heard._ Memories of a hurt Nessira flashed before Nova Terron's head. Now he lost _two more. Because of his selfishness._

" _Now listen here, Four Eyes._ " Gawayne snapped, catching everyone's attention, " _My stepsister may be a lot of things, and I mean_ _ **a lot of things,**_ "

" _We get it._ " Zarya momentarily interrupted.

" _But she's not some kind of_ _ **toy**_ _you can just play around with just because the stars turned against you and ruined your life._ " Gawayne went on, " _And you keep saying she's never gonna find out?_ _ **She WILL!**_ _You know why? Because nothing is more important to her than_ _ **FAMILY!**_ _The ones who_ _ **never**_ _ **LIE**_ _to her! Even when_ _ **some**_ _of them don't like her for a_ _ **little**_ _lot of things!_ "

Gawayne stopped to catch his breathe. Then looked at Lateensia's picture on his phone, "Sometimes, if you _truly_ love someone, _you have to let them go. So that they can be happy. And maybe one day they'd love you back!_ "

He deleted Lateensia's picture and collapsed on his knees, bawling his eyes out while Zarya patted his shoulder.

" _Who are you, and what have you done to our stepbrother?_ " She whispered.

" _Please don't tell Stepsister._ " Gawayne cried.

 _For some reason, she has the urge to_ _ **not**_ _tell her sister the,_ _ **reasonable**_ _things their stepbrother just said._

"Well, they're right about one thing;" Dreadbane pointed out, "Necrafa will _never_ return the favor. _Not like_ _ **before.**_ Especially to one who reminds her of the ones who _tormented_ her."

" _We'll see about that._ " Proxima narrowed her eyes in defiance.

"Don't you get it, Mage?" Dreadbane emphasized, " _She_ _ **hates ASTROMANCERS.**_ Which is why I keep my distances _away_ from them."

"Wait. If she _hates_ Astromancers, then why did you _team_ _up_ with _Tazma?_ " Zarya pointed out suspiciously. That's when realization struck her and she shook her head in disbelief, " _Oh Reggie..._ "

"What? She was a _homecoming present._ " Dreadbane defended.

"Well the joke's on you." Tazma materialized out of the shadows, "Once we resurrect Necrafa, she'll make us even more powerful than you'll ever be."

Dreadbane scoffed, "Last time I check, you were only interested in taking the Codex' power for yourself."

"Times are changing." Tazma simply shrugged as she summoned Necrafa's staff and necklace, _unaware that the mask's eye-hole was glowing red_ , " _It's time to once more bring back the_ _ **true**_ _dark ruler of this realm!_ "

Proxima took one last glance at her prisoners before joining Tazma in performing the ritual, the mask, staff and necklace levitating out of their hands and gathering together. The prisoners have no choice but to witness in horror the resurrection of the Queen of the Undead.

* * *

The others were searching for Tazma and Proxima when a column of red and black light appeared, alerting them of the dark mages' location.

 _Hope they're not too late..._

* * *

"You know I just realize;" Zarya watched as the ritual was being performed, "You weren't really trying to bring back Necrafa. You were trying to bring back _Nessira._ "

"And yet, I _failed._ " Dreadbane replied solemnly.

By the time the others arrived at the scene, the dark light grew brighter until it covered the entire area. Everyone had to shield their eyes from the intensity.

 _But when the light died down, their eyes widened at the being hovering before them._

" _Necrafa_." Queen Goodfey gaped in complete shock upon seeing the Queen of the Undead before her.

" _Necrafa._ " Dreadbane sighed with a lovesick look on his face. _Fortunately, it didn't last long as Zarya, Nova and Queen Goodfey slapped him out of it._

"You know its not that hard to forget someone who tried to _destroy you._ " Zarya reminded with a scowl.

"It _is_ when that someone was the one you failed to protect after she was wrongfully tormented." Dreadbane pointed out as he massaged his jaw.

Zarya wanted to protest, but after giving it some thought, complete with _past experiences_... " _Good point._ "

"Welcome back, my queen." Tazma bowed with respect before Necrafa, while the others braced themselves for an incoming attack.

In response, _Necrafa blasted her. And then Proxima._


	5. Nessira

_What just happened... wasn't much of a complete shock since everyone knew it would happen eventually. But it was shocking._

 _But to Tazma... it was..._ _ **unbelievable.**_

" _You sneaky, little_ _ **witch.**_ " Necrafa approached Tazma, " _And to think; I almost couldn't get out of that wretched wasteland because of_ _ **you.**_ "

Tazma slowly backed away in fear. _She didn't understand. What did she do to make her so angry?_

" _Oh please._ " Necrafa scoffed, " _I may have been_ _ **dead,**_ _but I wasn't_ _ **deaf.**_ "

Realization struck Proxima, " _She_ _ **heard.**_ "

 _She_ _ **heard. She heard EVERYTHING.**_

A wind blew, catching Necrafa's attention, causing her eyes to wander around the field.

"This does bring back memories, doesn't it?" Necrafa mused, reminiscing the times she spent with the Original Mysticons. _Was it just the Mysticons, or did she just sounded..._ _ **pleasantly happy?**_

" _Which ones?_ " Dreadbane glumly replied. _The happy ones? Or the_ _ **tragic ones?**_

Necrafa turned to face him with the scowl that said, ' _Don't think I'm letting you off easily after_ _ **what you did.**_ ' Upon seeing Nova Terron, she forced the force field to disperse, so that she could levitate the Star Master in front of her.

" _Nova Terron._ " The Queen of the Undead spoke with venom in her mouth, " _It's been so long..._ _ **old, friend.**_ "

"You know I really wished you didn't have to say _that._ " The Star Master nervously complained. He soon regretted it when Necrafa tossed him to the ground.

" _I trusted you, No-No Terry._ " Necrafa threatened him with the tip of her staff, " _You were like a little brother to me._ "

"Wait. _You're_ **older** than _him?"_ Malvaron asked in surprise.

"I'm, not proud of it." Nova Terron admitted before turning back to Necrafa, "Nessira, please...!"

" _ **Nessira is DEAD!**_ " Necrafa snapped, before sadly sighing, " _Casted away by those_ _ **ungrateful**_ _Astromancers. All those years of sacrifices... they were_ _ **MEANINGLESS**_ _!_ "

After a few moments, she began to calm down... _for a_ _ **bit**_ , " _If there are those like her who were casted away because of their sacrifices,_ _ **then there is no point for the realm to even EXIST.**_ "

Without even turning around, she pointed her staff at the Dragon Mage and blasted her just as she was about to attack from behind.

"To be honest; We can't blame you for being mad at him." Arkayna remarked.

" _Oh come on!_ " Nova Terron complained. _Great. Another reason for her to hate him._

"But we also want to say that your friends never meant to hurt you." Arkayna finished as Em shielded her from a blast.

" _What do you know?_ " Necrafa narrowed her eyes as she slammed her staff on the ground, " _You know_ _ **NOTHING**_ _of their true nature._ "

Dark energy rippled on the ground. Moments later, the Mysticons were wrapped up in black, thorny vines.

"You're right." Em slashed herself free, " _But_ _ **you do.**_ "

This caught Necrafa by surprise, causing her to reminisced the _happy_ times she had with her... _friends._

Her momentary distraction gave Nova Terron and Em the chance to free the other Mysticons.

"You knew them long enough to know they would _never_ turn against you." Em continued.

"Nessira, after you turned into the Queen of the Undead," Nova Terron slightly cringed at the painful memory, "the Mysticons turned their backs on _us._ Just to find a way to _bring you back._ "

Necrafa had enough and blasted Nova Terron once more, " _It didn't matter._ _ **I wasn't planning on coming back. EVER!**_ "

She blasted again, but Arkayna managed to shield Nova and deflected the attack with her staff. The others rushed in to help, but Necrafa trapped them in a red force field.

 _But she missed_ _ **one...**_

"You were one of the greatest Astromancers to ever live!" Arkayna kept blocking her attacks, "You trained the Original Mysticons! _You were their_ _ **FRIEND!**_ "

" _ **They betrayed me!**_ " Necrafa switched to her second face and blasted Arkayna to a large boulder that immediately broke due to the impact.

" _ **EVERY, ONE, OF, THEM!**_ " Necrafa screeched as the other Mysticons attacked her with all they got.

Yet no matter how much they tried, the evil queen managed to deflect their attacks and counter-attacked with a powerful wave of dark energy that knocked everyone to the ground.

As Arkayna struggled to get back on her feet, she was levitated towards Necrafa.

" _ **Every-ONE.**_ " She glared at the Dragon Mage straight in the eyes. After a few moments, she sighs, and Arkayna could see the sadness in her eyes, " _They all forgot about her. She made the_ _ **right**_ _choice, then they_ _ **completely**_ _forgot about her._ "

She tossed Arkayna to the other Mysticons, knocking them all to the ground. As the heroes struggle to get up, Necrafa approached them. The evil Queen radiated with power even greater and intense than before. So intense that anything that her dark aura touched was disintegrated.

Necrafa switched once more to her second face and let out an even more powerful shriek. Anything that came into contact with the shriek was completely destroyed.

The Mysticons hurried to get out of the way, _but it was too late..._

The Mysticons closed their eyes, and braced for the worst. The others watched in horror as the dark energy reached the heroes...

Arkayna opened her eyes, expecting to find herself in oblivion or so. But what she saw _instead, was_ _ **unbelievable...**_

" _Well that's going to leave a mark._ " Dreadbane felt the huge _**crack**_ on his chest before collapsing on the ground in complete pain.

Everyone froze with wide-eyed shock.

 _Dreadbane, just... took the_ _ **hit**_ _. For the_ _ **MYSTICONS.**_

" _Why?_ _ **Why?!**_ " Piper cried as she bent down to face the skeleton.

" _You're..._ " Dreadbane cringed in pain, " _starting, to act, like your... predecessors. Look at the bright side, Princess; we're_ _ **even.**_ "

Arkayna looked at him in anger and disbelief, " _Not like_ _ **THIS**_ _you Bonehead!_ "

Necrafa wanted to finally end the Mysticons once and for all. _Just like what she did to their predecessors thousands of years ago._

 _And yet... she_ _ **hesitated.**_

* * *

 _A thousand years. She has been asleep for a_ _ **thousand years.**_ _In a_ _ **desert wasteland!**_

 _When she woke up, the first thing she did was to travel back to Drake City._

 _She conjured up a portal. Red energy rippled until it revealed an image of Drake City. It sure has changed..._ _ **After she was defeated by that despicable Dragon Mage.**_

 _Just thinking about her, made her..._ _ **nostalgic.**_

 _The portal rippled before revealing a new location;_ _ **their secret training ground.**_

 _Even after all these years, it was still_ _ **beautiful.**_

 _Suddenly, a muscular skeleton appeared on the scene. He looked at the scene with a forlorn look as he placed a hand on a tree._

 _For some reason, he looked_ _ **familiar...**_

 _"Dreadbane?" Necrafa slightly gasped in surprise._

 _Dreadbane unsheathed his sword and spun around, searching for the source of the voice. When he saw the portal, his eyes widened in shock upon seeing the undead being on the other side._

 _"Necrafa? You're_ _ **alive!**_ _"_

 _It's_ _ **him.**_ _It's really_ _ **HIM! And after all these years!**_

 _Necrafa rushed towards the portal in order to embrace her beloved. However, to her complete shock, she was thrown back to the ground the moment she touched the portal. Once she got back to her feet, she touched the portal again, but couldn't pass through the other side, no matter how much she tried._

 _Nonononono_ _ **NO! This can't be happening! CURSE YOU IMANI! CURSE YOU DRAGON MAGE!**_

 _As Necrafa dipped her head in defeat, she felt the portal ripple and looked up; Dreadbane held his hand up and was touching the other side of the portal, in an attempt to touch her hand._

 _"I_ _ **will**_ _free you, my queen." Dreadbane swore with a look of determination._

 _Dreadbane... He never did disappoint her, or left her side._ _ **Unlike some people.**_

 _She wished they could talk longer, but for some reason, the dimension was draining her portal spell. With a heavy heart, she dispelled her portal, and bid her lover farewell,_ _ **hoping they will be reunited soon.**_

 _"_ _ **He's not going to come back for you.**_ _"_

 _ **That voice... It can't be...!**_

 _Necrafa spun around, only to find the ghost of a former adversary;_ _ **Imani Firewing. Mysticon Dragon Mage.**_

 _"No." Necrafa shook her head in disbelief, "You_ _ **perished YEARS AGO!**_ _"_

 _"_ _ **You can NEVER get rid of us, Necrafa.**_ _"_

 _Necrafa turned her head, only to find the other Mysticons standing behind her._

 _"_ _ **How could you do this to us?**_ _" The mirage of Imani scowled, "_ _ **How could you betray your realm and people?**_ _"_

 _"_ _ **YOU betrayed ME!**_ _" Necrafa snapped, "Once I'm released from this prison, I will once more bring_ _ **chaos and destruction to the realm!**_ _"_

 _"_ _ **As if Bane will let you.**_ _" Mirage-Kafras scoffed._

 _"_ _ **How could you drag him to the dark side?**_ _" Mirage-Yuna sadly shook her head._

 _"_ _ **Worry not, Friends.**_ _" Mirage-Imani assured, "_ _ **He will open his eyes. Once he does, he will turn his back on the dark, and return to the light.**_ _"_

 _"No." Necrafa shook her head in disbelief, "He will_ _ **NEVER**_ _leave me!_ _ **Unlike YOU.**_ _"_

 _He has always been there for her. He never left her side, even after her corruption. And after all these years, he_ _ **NEVER**_ _forgot about her._

 _"_ _ **That kind of belief, Necrafa, will be your DOOM.**_ _" Mirage-Imani shot back._

 _Those were the last words Necrafa heard before she blasted the 'Mysticons' in rage. As the mirages disappeared, she collapsed on her knees, as she let the haunting words sink in._

 _ **Dreadbane would never turn his back on her... would he?**_

* * *

 _Why couldn't she do it? Why couldn't she destroy those infernal brats once and for all? Was it because of_ _ **him?**_ _Why does it matter anyway? It's not like he..._

 _"No matter what will happen, I will_ _ **never**_ _ever leave your side. My eternal vow."_

Memories flashed before Necrafa, causing her to drop her staff as she clutched her head in pain, trying to block those... _ **useless, happy**_ _memories!_

 _Nova. Imani. Taizer. Kafras. Yuna._ _ **They all BETRAYED HER!**_

 _ **And then...!**_

 _"I will never let you go."_

Everyone watched in horror as Necrafa began to _yank_ her mask off as if it was made out of a sick, black substance. The white part of her mask changed into its second form, screaming in defiance, refusing to let go.

" _Get off of her you_ _ **DEMON!**_ " Nova rushed to Necrafa's side to help her get the mask off.

The mask hissed threateningly at the Star Master, but that did not deter him from saving his _friend_ and finally right the wrong he had committed thousands of years ago.

 _Finally..._ _ **the mask came off.**_

Nova found his back against the ground and the mask held between his hands which he soon tossed to the side in fear of being corrupted. He got back to his feet, only to find a familiar Astromancer with long, red hair slowly regaining consciousness.

" _Nessira!_ " The Star Master rushed to give his purified friend a warm hug, tears streaming from his eyes, " _I'm so sorry, I'm so sorry...!_ "

 _How could she let that happen? How could she let herself fall into_ _ **darkness?**_ _How could she do..._ _ **that,**_ _to her_ _ **friends?**_

The moment she took off the mask and opened her eyes, she expected _punishment for all her crimes against the realm._

Instead; _She gets a hug from a repenting Nova Terron._

 _This wasn't right._ _ **She**_ _was suppose to be the one doing all the_ _ **apologizing.**_

She hesitated, but soon found herself hugging her, _old_ friend back.

 _Then that's when she remembered..._ _ **him.**_

" _Don't you flick out on us, Bonehead! We still got a lot of bones to pick on you!_ " Zarya rebuked Dreadbane who was cringing in pain. _It's as if he was about to..._

" _Reggie!_ "

 _When was the last time he was call that by that_ _ **familiar, sweet**_ _voice?_ Dreadbane opened his eyes, only to find a familiar redhead looking down at him with worried dark red eyes as she clutched his chest. His eyes flickered for a moment as he managed a weak smile despite the intense pain he was feeling.

" _Never thought I'd see_ _ **you**_ _again._ " Dreadbane reached out a hand to touch her face. His eyes flickered again and he cringed in pain.

" _I didn't mean for this to happen._ " Nessira apologized while the others looked on with sympathy.

" _It wasn't your fault, Nessira._ " Nova bowed his head in shame, " _I should have open my heart more to change._ "

" _On the bright side;_ " Dreadbane cringed again, " _You wouldn't have to see my_ _ **pathetic**_ _face ever again._ "

" _But I_ _ **love**_ _your pathetic face. I_ _ **love...**_ " Nessira held back her tears, " _ **you.**_ "

Dreadbane's eyes flickered once more. _Did she just say that she...?_

His eyes flickered once again and he cringed in pain once more.

Nessira shook her head in denial. _No. This can't be happening! She never wanted this to happen! She just can't let him..._

Nessira tearfully embraced Dreadbane just as his eyes flickered for the _last time..._

 _ **Before they completely dimmed, leaving only two empty black holes.**_


	6. Finally, A Happy Ending

Many shed tears for the fallen skeleton, even the royal family. And Proxima.

Arkayna still couldn't believe Dreadbane would risk his undead life for them. All these times, the _monster_ who took her parents away, turned out to be an innocent warrior who spent a thousand years trying to reunite with his long-lost love who was forced to turn to the dark side after she was wrongfully accused by those who did not approve of her ways.

Tazma attempted to flee while everyone else was mourning. Unfortunately for her, Nova Terron stopped her by encasing her in a magic bubble.

Nessira continued to sob on her lover. Suddenly, to her _horror,_ he began to _crumble._

She could do nothing but just watch until Dreadbane's empty shell was completely turned into rubble. But when she took a closer look...

 _Well... let's just say he wasn't completely_ _ **"empty".**_

A hand shot out from the pile of rubble, followed by the rest of its owner's body which was clad in a uniform a royal guard would wear thousands of years ago. When he locked eyes with Nessira, her heart started beating like crazy.

" _Nessie?_ "

 _ **That's it. She can't take it anymore.**_

Nessira tackled Bane in a loving embrace. The now-human royal guard happily returned the embrace and twirled them around. The two lovers touched foreheads for the first time after so many years. _Finally, they were_ _ **free, and together again.**_

Everyone sheds more tears than before. They were so happy for the couple.

No one was happier than Nova Terron. His friend finally got the happy ending she truly deserved.

"Wow." Arkayna remarked upon seeing Bane.

" _I know._ " Zarya whispered back. _Who knew Dreadbane used to be that_ _ **cute?**_

Malvaron grumbled a bit at the twins' conversation while Em took a picture on her spellpad.

Just as the lovers leaned in towards each other, Nessira dipped Bane and pulled him in for a grand, romantic kiss. _And yes; Some awed, some are crept out._

"Can we ask them to let us out now?" Doug asked as he sheds a tear.

"Let's, give them 5 more minutes." Gawayne sniffed.

* * *

 _Well that didn't last long._ The Shadow looked down at the mask on his hand, wondering who its next wearer will be. Hopefully, _her_ heart would be _darker_ than Necrafa's.

The Shadow took one last look at the group before disappearing into the darkness.

 _Next time, Mysticons. Next time, will be your_ _ **last time...**_


End file.
